ESPN: BC Looks To Prevent Crash Landing

Pictured: Keith Wright, in Harvard's victory at Boston
College last season (John Quackenbos)

By Brian MacPherson
Special to ESPNBoston.com

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Boston College didn't need
to hear what happened to UConn on Sunday to know not to take
Harvard lightly. The Eagles already knew all about Harvard.

BC upset unbeaten North Carolina last season, a building-block
win for a team picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC. Three
days later, Harvard seized control early and never looked back en
route to a stunning win over the Eagles at Conte Forum.

BC toppled unbeaten Miami on Sunday, potentially a
building-block win for a team picked to finish near the bottom of
the ACC.

Next on the schedule? Harvard.

"We can't let that happen this year," said forward Corey
Raji, who had 17 points and nine rebounds against Miami. "We
have to take each game as it comes. When we won that North Carolina
game, we were still stuck on that win -- and Harvard came in here
and basically gave us a whooping."

The Crimson, who play in Chestnut Hill at 7 p.m. Wednesday, are
fully capable of giving BC another whooping. Guard Jeremy
Lin scored 27 points against the Eagles last season, and he
dropped 30 on UConn on Sunday -- including 11 in the final two
minutes of the game. Lin is averaging 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and
4.6 assists per game, and he's just the type of player who has
given the Eagles fits all season:

Not one of those guards, though, ultimately lifted his team to a
victory. As far as the Eagles are concerned, Lin can score all he
wants as long as he's the only one scoring -- and as long as the
Crimson don't pull another upset.

Last season's loss to Harvard, after all, kicked off a five-game
losing streak that had quite a bit to do with the Eagles' No. 7
seed in the NCAA tournament -- and thus their first-round exit at
the hands of Southern Cal.

Boston College already has two résumé-torching
losses to its credit this season, souvenirs from a lackluster trip
to the Virgin Islands. A loss to Harvard -- revenge for last year's
game notwithstanding -- wouldn't exactly do wonders for the Eagles'
March Madness hopes.

"We want to get them back," guard Reggie
Jackson said. "But we had those two losses in the Virgin
Islands in neutral [court] games to UNI and Saint Joe's. We watch
ESPN. We know it's not going to look good on our
résumé. We prepare ourselves the best we can for each
and every game. Until March comes, we're trying to not look past
any opponent."